General Motors Announces Plans for Lithium Battery Plant

General Motors is now stepping up its commitment to green transport. This new found commitment has come about after General Motors announced its plans to open America’s very first commercial automaker-operated lithium battery manufacturing site.

It is reported that General Motors will be investing more than £25 million into a site in Browntown Township, Michigan. There the company will produce lithium ion batteries for its ever growing fleet of green transport cars.

The new move just further reiterates General Motors’ commitment to green practices. The car manufacturer has also noted that all of the equipment at the new plant, with the exception of specific battery machinery, will be recycled from its other branches.

The General Motors president and chief executive, Fritz Henderson, said that the developing and the producing of these advanced batteries is a very important step in General Motors’ journey to becoming the leader in electric vehicles. He went on to say that the state-of-the-art battery manufacturing site will help to reinforce the fact that the company is committed to achieving its goal to deliver clean, fuel efficient automobiles.

The first General Motors car that will receive the plant’s lithium ion batteries will be the Chevrolet Volt. This is a very highly anticipated car, and the new model is expected to begin production in 2010. This will have it ready for a release in 2011.

Although this is just one of the many steps that General Motors is taking to becoming a greener company, many environmentalists point out that it’s a big step. Not only is General Motors making batteries for cars, but they are doing it with equipment that has been recycled down from its other branches.